This should be a good time to work on your stress management skills.
It's no secret that vast numbers of human beings will hit the roads, the rails, the skies — and probably the bottle — during the holidays.
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Just how many people are we talking about?
Well, the American Automobile Association is predicting that 115.2 million travelers — or roughly the population of the Philippines — will head 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day year-end holiday travel period.
More than 115 million Americans projected to travel over Christmas and New Year's. AAA expects this will be the busiest holiday season ever at the airports! Here's what you can do to prepare. https://t.co/jNx4xe5PPM pic.twitter.com/vEZVTiFdAZ
— AAA (@AAAnews) December 11, 2023
That's a 2.2% increase over last year and the second highest year-end travel forecast since 2000, when AAA began tracking holiday travel.
Beware of congestion
The association said that 2019 remains the busiest Christmas and New Year’s travel period on record with 119 million travelers.
“This year-end holiday forecast, with an additional 2.5 million travelers compared to last year, mirrors what AAA Travel has been observing throughout 2023,” Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said in a statement.
“More Americans are investing in travel, despite the cost, to make memories with loved ones and experience new places," she added.
AAA reckons nearly 104 million people will drive to their holiday destinations, up 1.8% from last year, the second highest on record after 2019 when 108 million people climbed into their cars for the holidays.
Drivers can expect to pay about the same or less for a gallon of gas than they did last holiday season, when the national average on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day was $3.10 and $3.20 respectively.
Saturday, Dec. 23 and Thursday, Dec. 28 are shaping up to be the most congested days on the road, according to Inrix, a traffic analytics firm.
In addition, Saturday, Dec. 30 will see an increase in traffic as many people will be heading back home from their holiday destinations or traveling for New Year’s Eve.
The best times to drive are before lunchtime or after 7 p.m.
Drivers are advised to avoid peak commuting hours and to use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services to cut down on holiday travel traffic frustrations.
Airports, meanwhile, are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been over the Christmas and New Year’s travel period, with 7.5 million people expected to head down the runway.
Other ways to travel
This beats 2019’s record of 7.3 million passengers, but if it’s any consolation to you, average ticket prices are slightly lower than last year.
Twidale said travelers can find last-minute deals, “but if your preference is a nonstop flight with seat selection, AAA recommends booking well in advance and protecting your investment with travel insurance.”
The Travel Channel recommends registering for TSA PreCheck in order to access expedited domestic screening, since it reduces the amount of time waiting in security lines, and eliminates the trouble of removing your shoes, liquids, laptops and more.
For foreign travel, registering for Global Entry provides expedited entry back into the U.S.
The number of people traveling by other modes, like bus, train, and cruise, is projected to surpass 2019.
AAA is predicting that more than 4 million Americans will take alternative transportation over Christmas and New Year’s compared with 3.66 million in 2022 and 3.89 million in 2019.
Demand for cruises has skyrocketed post-pandemic, the group said, and the industry is now preparing for the wave of bookings that traditionally happens at the start of the new year
So where are all these people going?
AAA said that Orlando, Fla., Anaheim, Calif., Chicago, Charlotte, N.C., and Miami are the top five domestic destinations.
As far as travel to other countries or U.S. territories, London, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, Dublin, Ireland and Toronto lead the pack.
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